Tensions Over Islands, Shrine Rise After Lull

By

Yuka Hayashi

Updated April 23, 2013 11:27 a.m. ET

TOKYO—Japan and China faced off anew over a group of disputed islands after visits to a controversial war shrine by Japanese politicians rankled Tokyo's neighbors, raising concerns that tensions between the two East Asian powers may be returning after a period of relative calm.

On Tuesday, China sent eight maritime-patrol ships to the waters surrounding small East China Sea islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, saying it was responding to the "illegal entry" of boats piloted by Japanese activists into its waters. The Chinese flotilla was the largest Beijing had sent to the area since September, when the current dispute flared up following Japan's decision to nationalize the islands.

ENLARGE

A Japanese fishing boat and Japan Coast Guard vessels sail with a Chinese surveillance ship near disputed islands called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China in the East China Sea Tuesday.
Associated Press

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A diplomatic war of words ensued, with senior government officials from each side demanding that the other withdraw ships from its territorial waters around the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

The maritime confrontation came a day after visits to the Tokyo war shrine by top aides of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set off angry protests from Seoul and Beijing, which have long painted such tributes as offensive to their people who had suffered from Japan's brutal wartime acts.

Further inflaming the situation, 168 Japanese ruling and opposition party lawmakers on Tuesday visited the shrine for the last day of its three-day annual spring festival, the largest group of politicians ever to visit and more than double the number reported for the event last year.

The Yasukuni shrine, which sits on a sprawling 23-acre wooded area in central Tokyo, was established in the late 19th century to commemorate some 2.5 million soldiers killed in Japanese wars. It has been a sacred place for generations of Japanese, who believe that the spirits of fallen soldiers congregate at the shrine before heading back to their ancestral homelands.

China and South Korea began protesting shrine visits by Japanese officials in recent decades, after the names of 14 senior military officials convicted of war crimes were added in the 1970s to the roster of those honored at the shrine.

Hua Chunying, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Japan's actions embodied by the shrine visits "merit high alert and vigilance by its Asian neighbors and the international community."

—Yuka Hayashi

She also urged Japan to take steps to keep from isolating itself. Beijing didn't say the dispatch of the patrol boats Tuesday came in response to the shrine visits.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Abe suggested Tuesday that Japan wouldn't hesitate to use force to defend the islands.

"I have given instructions to take resolute measures against attempts to enter our territorial waters and make a landing," said Mr. Abe before a parliamentary committee. "If they do land, then of course we will forcibly expel them."

In Beijing, Ms. Hua said China has lodged a "strong protest" against Japan over the "illegal entry" of boats piloted by right-wing Japanese activists into its waters. She added that China dispatched eight boats to police the waters, and to its knowledge the Japanese boats have left that part of the sea.

Such verbal exchanges add to the pressure-cooker atmosphere in the region, where North Korea's bellicose rhetoric over threatened nuclear attacks has kept the country's neighbors and the U.S. on their toes in recent weeks.

The territorial tussle between Japan and China escalated sharply earlier this year, resulting in worrisome increases in activities involving fighter jets and warships near the disputed area. The contention had somewhat subsided in recent weeks, however, as officials focused on dealing with North Korea.

But the long-simmering discord returned Monday, underscoring the difficulties the region faces in settling disagreements dating back to World War II.

On Monday, South Korea responded to the war-shrine visits by canceling a planned visit to Tokyo by its foreign minister, where the two nations were to discuss cooperation over the North Korea crisis. This followed the news last week that China had decided to skip an annual trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea set for May, damping hopes for renewed regional dialogue.

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